1. Technical Field
This invention relates to wearable spinal protective devices. Prior art mostly relies on simple padding and hard shell coverings to disperse impact energy; also most are designed to protect small regions of the back or spine. No prior art had the ability to protect the entire spinal column. Our design will provide complete coverage along the entire length of the spinal column, from cervical to lumbosacral vertebrae. In particular it is designed to reduce or prevent all forms of spinal cord trauma that can occur during high velocity activities. Injuries such; as but not limited to: neck whiplash, cervical compression, blunt force trauma, and hyperextension and spinal twisting.
2. Background Art
Many human activities depend on high velocity performance such as: motorcycles, ATVs, snow machines, mountain biking, skate boarding, bull riding, and snow skiing. With higher velocities come higher impact forces. These forces during an accident will impact the spinal column in a destructive ways causing debilitating injury. It is estimated that 10,000 people incur Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) every year. This causes untold pain and suffering that lasts a life time, costing tax payers hundreds of millions of dollars. Many inventions exist to deal with some aspect of spinal column protection, but the numbers of SCI cases still grow. This proves these prior devices aren't providing complete protection. The lack of protection is because these past inventions routinely rely on simple padding covered by a hard shell in an attempt to disperse impact forces. More importantly they are routinely designed to protect only one area of the spinal column from possible injury. Although by different design and mechanical means most provide the same level of inadequate protection. Our present invention approaches the spinal safety issue differently; it is to have one wearable spinal protective apparatus that brings together all the different aspects of injury prevention for the spinal column in one apparatus for complete spinal coverage. The present invention will provide during an accident situation; protection to the neck to reduce the forces the cause whiplash, side angle whiplash, neck compression, spinal twisting, blunt force trauma and upon a rear collision a rigid back structure between the skull and the pelvis.